CHENNAI: Extramarital relationships have become a dangerous social evil. Many heinous crimes including ghastly murders, assaults and kidnapping, are committed because of clandestine relationships and they are alarmingly increasing day-by-day. Most of the killings are either by husbands or wives to eliminate his or her cheating partner, the paramour and shockingly even children. Moreover, murders are being committed to continue the relationship with the paramour, the Madras High Court has observed.
A division bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and Abdul Quddhose made the observation on March 5 last while allowing a habeas corpus writ petition challenging the detention of one Ajith Kumar over a murder case; arising out of an illicit relationship.
In view of a spurt in offences, especially, murders due to extra-marital affairs, the judges said it is their bounden duty to address the issue. In an effort to find out the reasons and find ways and means to address the issue and to prevent/reduce the related offences, the bench raised a set of 20 queries, to be answered by the State.
They included the number of murders that took place in India for the past 10 years due to extra-marital affairs (details - year-wise), number of suicides, kidnaps, assaults, and if there is phenomenal increase in the number of offences due to immoral relationship year by year and the role played by TV serials and cinemas for the increase in scandalous relationships. The matter stands adjourned till the third week of June.
Proceedings in Gokulraj murder case stayed
Proceedings in the case relating to the murder of Dalit engineering student Gokulraj, pending before a trial court at Namakkal, was stayed by Madras High Court on Wednesday. Justice G K Ilanthiraiyan stayed the proceedings pending before the Special Court, constituted under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, when a petition from Chitra, mother of Gokulraj, came up.
According to petitioner, her son had a love affair with a girl belonging to an upper caste. He was allegedly murdered by a group headed by one Yuvaraj on June 23, 2015. It was a case of honour killing. She alleged that due to slackness on the part of prosecution, many witnesses in the case had turned hostile. Hence, trial in the lower court would not be a fair. The CCTV footage was also not marked as evidence in the case, she said and prayed the court to transfer the trial to any other court.
Kodanad case: Plea to quash lower court order rejected
The Madras High Court has rejected a plea from K V Sayan (37) and Valayar Manoj (42), both hailing from Thrissur, to quash an order of the lower court in the Nilgiris, which cancelled the bail granted to them. Accepting the arguments of State Public Prosecutor A Natarajan, Justice G K Ilanthiraiyan dismissed the criminal original petition from the duo, on Wednesday.
The charges against them were that they had, along with the deceased accused Kanagaraj and eight others, committed a dacoity and murder in the house of former Chief Minister J Jayalalitha at Kodanad Estate on the intervening night of April 23 and 24, 2017. While Sayan was arrested and remanded in judicial custody on June 6 and granted bail on September 9, 2017, Manoj was arrested and remanded on May 1 and released on bail on December 15, 2017.